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OH JOHNNY!

August 21, 2014 - Chuck Greenwood

The Cleveland Browns should have continued this “quarterback competition” for one more game; at least from a marketing point of view. Think for a moment about the excitement that would have been generated in Cleveland if head coach Mike Pettine had announced that Johnny Manziel would be the starting quarterback versus the St. Louis Rams on Saturday night. The marketing, accounting and sales departments of the Browns would have been doing double high-fives all over Cleveland if Manziel was starting. The rush for tickets would have been overwhelming. To make this a “true competition”, both quarterbacks should have started at least one game. Brian Hoyer, who in my opinion, is the better quarterback at this point in time, has started the first two preseason games. Manziel just isn’t ready. It is easy to understand that Pettine wanted to announce a starting quarterback for the Browns’ season opener at Pittsburgh on September 7. With two quarterbacks sharing equal reps in practice, it’s almost impossible for any offense to develop a rhythm. Before the season is very far along, don’t be surprised if a third quarterback is a factor in this “competition”; Rex Grossman. Sometimes you “win” by standing back and letting the others “lose”. It’s obvious that Manziel isn’t ready to start a game versus a blitzing defense such as Pittsburgh’s. Pettine is doing him a huge favor by not exposing him to the Steelers defense. It’s a long way from College Station, Texas to the National Football League, especially for a quarterback.